The latest senior aide to bolt from the Republican National Committee headquarters, national press secretary Gail Gitcho is leaving to oversee Senator-elect Scott Brown’s communications operation, it was reported Sunday by CNN.
Gitcho, who held communications posts in the campaigns of John McCain and Mitt Romney, is the third senior communications aide to depart in two months, fueling speculation of mid-cycle internal strife.
Gitcho is following in the footsteps of former communications director Trevor Francis, who abruptly resigned in November after RNC Chairman Michael Steele became frustrated he was not receiving proper credit for the party’s electoral successes in Virginia and New Jersey. Todd Irons, Francis’s deputy, resigned just one week later.
To compensate for Francis’s departure, the RNC tapped Republican media strategist Alex Castellanos as a senior communications advisor. A frequent on-air political analyst for CNN, Castellanos minimized his role, insisting he was not “replacing anyone,” only “helping out.”
But in the months following the reorganization, the RNC’s press operation has been decidedly less aggressive. And in comparison to the days of compulsive emailer Danny “$” Diaz, the press shop is a shadow of its former hawkish, oftentimes combative self — which inundated reporters with negative press clippings and research memos.
The search to fill the top two–now three–communications posts at the RNC remains underway, and unsuccessful, I’m told.
UPDATE: I would be remiss if I failed to mention that without communications staff, the RNC must rely on Steele to get its message out. And we all know how fantastic he’s been on that front.
Cross-posted to Skepticians.com.
[Disclosure: I was the RNC's Online Communications Manager when Diaz served as Communications Director]
KnightsofMalta
Steve Maley
Caleb Howe
Which is RNC or Steele the real problem?
Cheetah772 (Diary) Monday, February 1st at 1:05PM EST (link)Is it RNC that’s driving away these guys, or is it Steele himself? An inquiring mind wants to know….
Since it’s obvious that I’m not on inside, so I really have no idea what’s going on inside. But whatever it is, either RNC or Steele needs to get its act straightened out and all ready to go on offensive as this electoral cycle gets closer each day.
Just my two cents, for what it is worth anyway….
Daniel 2:20 And he [God] changeth the times and seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding.
Next time
martyinaz Tuesday, February 2nd at 10:19PM EST (link)When quoting scriptures, when you refer to God as he, it should be He, in caps. Not a big deal, just a matter of our humility to our Lord.
Well, if you follow the link below martyinaz
mbecker908 (Diary) Tuesday, February 2nd at 10:25PM EST (link)you’ll find that the KJV text uses the lower case in that particular verse.
Katon Dawson
E Pluribus Unum (Diary) Monday, February 1st at 1:33PM EST (link)This is (a small part of) the price we pay for Republican’s typical Decision-By-Fear-Of-Democrat-Smear-Machines. Because it should have been Katon Dawson leading the RNC and everybody knows it.
Serves a whole bunch of people right. And the rest of us get to pay for it along with them.
Kill the Terrorists
Protect the Borders
Punch the Hippies h/t IMAO
Multiple 5's
fpete13527 (Diary) Monday, February 1st at 1:55PM EST (link)I pray that we can be impactful enough to evoke a COMPLETE change of the Old (MCCain/Huffingon) Guard that is in place in all three of the GOP organizations.
So far, IMO, they are not even BEGINNING to listen to the TRUE changes that are needed. Their mindset can be paraphrased still as, “we must listen to HUFFINGTON /MCCAIN / CRIST..who are the pillars of conservative values.”
Currently, all three GOP organizations are broke beyond broke beyond broke beyond WEAK. If they don’t find the integrity to begin shifting them…all the great work that people, such as this website, are doing,….will be GREATLY hindered.
Heh...here's the money quote....
AceInTX (Diary) Monday, February 1st at 2:09PM EST (link)I was a Blackwell supporter when the race was going on for a new RNC chair…I said then Steele is an opportunist and will change his story to fit the conditions of the moment.
As proof I provided in multiple diaries and threads his performance on meet the press and his wishy washy responses on abortion. I was also one of the first people here to bring out his involvement with Christi Tod Whitman with the RLC. The examples I provided proved him to be willing to change his positions and the narative if that’s what it took to promote Michael Steele.
He won…and I said then I’d take a wait and see attitude concerning him. and I have…I’ve even defended him at times because I don’t like the way the Duncan people set about going after him within months of his assuming the chairmanship…
What this story tells me is…the RNC’s communication people are leaving because Steele thinks the RNC communications department is there to toot Micheal Steele’s horn…and he’s hammering them for not shamelessly promoting him.
After a year of Steele’s endless self promotion and gaff a minute style…I’m ready to say…it’s time for him to go….The RNC isn’t there for the aggrandizement of it’s chairman. It exists to promote the party and further the goals as expressed it it’s platform…On this Steele earns an epic FAIL for his performance and he needs to start looking for another job!
there's an up side here
dudette Tuesday, February 2nd at 5:50AM EST (link)if we have a chance to clean house of RINO STAFF…which is what the aforementioned sounded like but i don’t know them. a lean clean mean machine preferably aggressive and effective communications director who is NOT aligned with RINOS would be perfect. Is Mary Katherine Ham available or Guy Benson?
RNC & Steele
CarolT (Diary) Tuesday, February 2nd at 8:11AM EST (link)I cannot believe Steele said a few weeks ago that he did not think we could win back seats this year. Is this a new way to inspire us?
I say it’s time for him to go. I don’t like the fact that he’s been out there making appearances for his book and accepting speaker fees for his own profit. If he has time to make personal appearances for his own profit, he’s not doing the job he was hired to do.
The problem is, the squishy moderates dominate the RNC just now...
rcov092 (Diary) Tuesday, February 2nd at 9:23AM EST (link)they will make no move and it is growing late. It is best to ignore the RNC till after the election. Let the grassroots run things from the outside. We already are. Fund raising internally not going well. Grassroots are giving to candidates directly because they know giving to the RNC will just be wasted on trying to elect liberals. We can fight this in January, after we sweep the Democrats out of controll in the House.
“Not One Red Dime for the NRSC or NRCC till they stop trying to elect liberals”
Join the RedState Strike Force
Maybe it's lack of conservative content.....
prairietalker (Diary) Tuesday, February 2nd at 9:56AM EST (link)Perhaps the main problem with Michael Steele is that his thoughts and words lack the ring of true conservatism. I always feel as though he’s just a pretty face doing a mediocre job of fund-raising; keeping his roiling RINO retorts just under the surface. I’d quit, too. There’s no real excitement in working for a thinly-camouflaged moderate. It’s mostly just a fancy dance, hoping no one remembers what he said last week, as compared to what he is saying today. Plus, conservatism is an ascending star these days. All the excitement is on the conservative side. With Steele, always a bridesmaid, never a bride…….a matter of a little conservatism here and a little moderate rhetoric there. With Scott Brown……well, now that’s real conservative, for a change…….we hope.
about Scott Brown...
racvt Tuesday, February 2nd at 11:37AM EST (link)Yes, I too was delighted that he won. But don’t assume he’s a “real conservative”.
His election poses the quandary between “RINO” and “true conservative” whatever that means (fiscal? social? – define social… etc.)
As a conservative, I want to and do support “true conservatives” when given the opportunity, when the choice is between a “RINO” and a conservative who has a good chance to win.
But Scott is more an independent. the fact is, he didn’t win as much as Coakley LOST that election.
Be delighted to have him on board (as I am) but do not be surprised when he votes turn up more middle of the road… the space RINO’s attempt to occupy.
racvt
Watch out for the language of the left
rickindenver Tuesday, February 2nd at 2:09PM EST (link)It was the MSM who mainly used the term “consevative” in refering to Scott Brown. For Massachusetts he was conservative! He is more of a moderate republican with shades of blue dog democrat. Do not let the left and their MSM bretheren dilute conservatism! Just as the statist has done for more than eighty years we must move incrementally, toward a return to the founding, and when the opportunity presents itself, large chunks (November 2010)! Scott Brown was a small but important step!